Destiny
by uhyesplease
Summary: Bella and Edward meet under extraordinary circumstances. Is it possible for love to grow in the present, when it's too late for the past and doomed for the future? A/U, canon pairings, with a splash of 'Back to the Future'. Rated M for language/lemons.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Prince Edward Island, Canada

1905

I was so thankful for the rain because I was out of tears. I didn't care that I was soaked to the skin, out in the middle of one of the biggest storms I had ever seen. I blankly stared out across the ocean. The storm was whipping the surf into a frenzy and the enormous waves were pounding the side of the tall, red cliff I was standing on. But not even the howling winds and crashing waves could provide enough noise to drown out my father's words.

"You WILL marry him! I command it!"

I wrapped my arms tighter around my body trying to will myself into forgetting what had happened. What was going to happen. Marriage to a man I didn't love.

My body seemed to turn itself away from the violent surf even before I heard the sound. Was someone calling my name? I squinted into the darkness, toward the trees when I saw it – _no, saw_ _him_. A vision of a boy more beautiful than anyone I had ever seen. He began to run to me, my brown eyes locked into his deep emerald ones and I felt myself jolt into my future:

_Him, the achingly sweet boy, holding my hand on my parents' front porch swing._

_Him, lifting up my silvery veil for our first married kiss._

_Him, stroking the hair of our curly haired baby while she nursed at my breast._

Just a flash and I knew that he was my destiny. This boy was the one my heart insisted I wait for.

I felt my body shudder into the present and I stared back into the trees, seeing nothing but their branches thrashing in the wind. This vision was wrong, it wasn't real. I could feel my chest rip open with searing pain knowing all was lost. I squeezed my eyes closed as my arms released their grip around my body and fell down loosely to my sides. I took one small step back and fell into the sea.

My last thought was simple. My life was not worth living without him.


	2. Gravity

******_All copyright and trademarked items mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. The remaining content is property of uhyesplease. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without my express written authorization._**

**Chapter 2 - Gravity**

Present day

Forks, Washington

~*~**Edward**

So, here I am. _Caveman_ High School in the tiny town of Forks, Washington. I guess I didn't know how good I had it before I ended up here. I mean, my life was perfect. Great parents, great house in an amazing city and every day brought new and fascinating things into my life. Hong Kong was the best. Where else can you study ancient haiku calligraphy all morning in the Hong Kong Museum of Art, spend the afternoon testing the Zeeman Effect in the Physics lab at the University of Hong Kong, practice speaking Mandarin with a next door neighbor before sitting down to an amazing dinner with my parents? That was my kind of school. Not this trivial bullshit. I've tried to put on a happy face for this, man up and deal the best way possible. It hasn't been easy.

I'd only been here a week and it's been torture. The lectures? A joke. The physics lab? I had more extensive, not to mention state-of-the-art, equipment at home. Let's not forget the homework, quizzes and tests which are totally laughable. I kind of felt bad for my new friends who were having trouble with their classes. I guess I could offer to tutor in my spare time, since studying isn't necessary. Maybe. However, besides tutoring and working on my new project I still had time to kill.

_Deep down I knew I was trying to fill up my time so I wouldn't think of mom and dad, or just how much I missed them._

"Hey – earth to Edward. Are you there, Edward?"

I turned to Mike, where the voice was coming from.

"Oh, sorry, I checked out there for a moment. What's up?"

Mike slapped his lunch tray down on the table I was sitting at and grinned.

"Not much man, I just wanted to make sure you were still with us. It looked like a deep thoughts moment."

I laughed, "Yeah, well, you know how it is…"

"Actually, I don't. Unless you're talking about the ladies…I got some deep thoughts there if you know what I'm saying…" He pointed at his "That's what she said" shirt and actually cackled.

I swept my hands through my hair and laughed again hoping to hide a little self consciousness, "Totally."

"Hey douchebags!" Tyler yelled across the cafeteria. He and Eric were walking towards us with their trays and sat down at our table.

"Nice shirt, Mike." Tyler continued, "Your mom was telling me about it before she got out of my bed this morning."

"Shut the fuck up, Tyler," Mike whined in the middle of stuffing a French fry in his mouth, "What are we, in eighth grade again? Seriously, you're an ass."

"Whatever dude, tell your mom 'Hi,' for me when you get home." Tyler high fived Eric at that and Mike rolled his eyes and dug into a huge piece of pizza.

Jesus, how did I end up friends with these idiots? On my first day at Forks, Mike Newton was in my first period English class and started up a conversation with me basically because he had no idea what was going on in _The Merchant of Venice_. We got to talking and here I sat, at the lunch table with him, Eric Yorkie and Tyler Crowley. They were alright and usually made me laugh. I'd needed laughs lately…..

"Holy shit, look at that!" Tyler groaned at the sight of the cafeteria doors.

I turned to see what he was talking about and saw her. Long blonde hair, deep red lips curled into a smile. She looked like she poured herself into a pair of black jeans and her shirt was tight and left unbuttoned low enough not to leave much to the imagination. How could I have missed seeing _that_ all week?

We watched her walk by, and when I say walk, I mean strut and bounce in all the right places. I could feel a pleasantly uncomfortable sensation in my jeans and noticed the rest of the guys shift in their seats. Holy shit was right, and the best, or worst part: she knew it. This girl owned every guy in this room.

"Who the hell is that?" I whispered to Mike.

"That, my friend, is Rosalie Hale. I can see that look on your face, but sorry man, you can look, but don't touch. See the big guy she's walking to? That's her boyfriend, Emmett……who is _also_ her brother."

I choked on my Pepsi and sputtered out, "What the fuck?!"

Mike burst into laughter, "Oh shit! That never gets old! I guess I should say _adopted_ brother. They aren't really related. Her aunt and uncle, Dr. and Mrs. Cullen, adopted her when she was young. I think her parents died or something? And since they can't have kids, or whatever, they've also adopted her brother, Jasper, and then two other kids, Alice, and Emmett's twin sister, Bella."

He looked again toward the door and I followed his gaze.

"Alice is the little one with the short hair, and get this – she's hooked up with Rosalie's brother Jasper."

Wow, this was a weird family. I watched a tiny, elfin-like girl float in with an intense looking blond guy on her arm. She was cute, but no Rosalie. Behind them was another girl by herself. I guessed that was Bella. She had her head down, reading a book while she walked to their table. Mike nudged me, "Yeah – that's Bella. We sorta have something going on together….watch this."

Mike grabbed a French fry off my plate and threw it at the girl. "Hey baby!" Mike yelled, "Whatcha reading?"

Bella looked up and shot him the most dangerous glare I'd ever seen. If he and this chick were dating, then I was the guy who completed the human genome project. Her eyes went from Mike and then to me. But the moment her eyes looked into mine something changed. It seemed like all the oxygen was sucked out of the room. It was just her and me. Like the pull of the Earth wasn't keeping me from floating into space, it was this girl, Bella.

The girl before me was a vision, seemingly unreal. She mesmerized me completely - my body, mind and soul. She was pulling me in, her very presence in the room intoxicating. Her skin pale white, yet delicately so. Her figure fine and slender. There was a grace to her movements, so very different from her sisters. She didn't strut, nor did she prance about. She was gliding. I had the strange urge to check and make sure she was truly walking. Was it possible for a person to float? Her hair was a rich mahogany, a thick waterfall cascading down her back to her waist. Thoughts filled my mind of running my fingers through it; unknowingly I ran my own hand through my errant locks.

But it was her eyes that most captivated me; a strange amber color that beckoned to me. Their depths fathomless. A shiver of longing coursed through my body. How was it possible for someone to be so lovely, so beautiful, so perfect?

A look of shock and something akin to passion crossed her face. She was glowing with an inner delight I did not understand. There was recognition in that moment; one soul meeting its counter part. The need was undeniably strong and for the first time, in a long time, I felt like I was home. _What was I thinking!? I didn't even know this girl!_

I blinked a few times which pulled me back into the present. She broke her gaze at the same time, and she actually tripped a bit getting into her chair by the table with the rest of her family. I felt my lips curl into a smile and I stifled a laugh. _How cute._

"Yeah, she's something isn't she," Mike gloated. I wanted to punch him in the throat.

I tried to collect myself. "Um, uh huh." I mumbled. _Who was that girl – what the hell just happened?_

"Well, I gotta make like a tree and get outta here… See ya, dickheads!" Mike picked up his tray, shoved the trash in the bin and made his way out of the cafeteria.

"Uh, me too you guys." I got up to leave. "See you later." I glanced back at Eric and Tyler, who were still staring at Rosalie. Yep, they really were dickheads.

I threw my trash away and headed to my locker to grab my books. Question upon question overlapped in my brain. I'd been here a week, why hadn't I seen this family before? Had they been on vacation or something? I was certain I would have remembered Bella if I had seen her earlier this week.

That look from her – I'm a pretty smart guy, but I'd never experienced anything like that. Even though my mom used to joke about me being born middle aged, I was still a healthy, hormone-riddled teenager. I had physical reactions to girls, even just pictures of girls, like every other normal guy. Hell, just looking at Rosalie made me feel like a stereotypical horndog. Yet I had never felt an _emotional_ tie to a girl. And absolutely nothing like this connection I felt with Bella, whom I didn't even know. _Shit! What was that all about?_

I got to my locker and started pulling out my books for Bio when the sound of a harpy started screaming in my ear.

"Hi! You must be Eddie Mason. I'm Jessica Stanley, head cheerleader and Honor Society president. I just wanted to welcome you to Forks High! I can't believe it's taken me so long to finally talk to you!"

"Oh, um, it's just Edward…" I stuck my hand out to shake hers and instead she grabbed my hand, pulled me into her and smashed her face into my cheek.

She whispered in my ear, "I'll have to make up for my mistake. Party at my house this weekend, you'll be there, right?" she snaked her tongue in my ear and sucked on my earlobe.

I jumped back nearly dropping her on her ass. She giggled and strolled down the hall and left me standing there completely dumbstruck.

Thankfully the bell rang and I booked it to class. Notes to self – 1. Stay away from Jessica. 2. There was no way in hell I'd go to her party. And Bella? Well, this might be a first, but I had to talk to her. _Maybe I would find a way to fill up my spare time after all?_

**~*~Bella**

Today started like any other day. I got dressed, went to school with my family, then acted as small as possible so I wouldn't be called on in class and deal with this school farce. It's amazing how I could just think of not being there, and it was like everyone left me alone. Well, everyone but that idiot, Mike Newton. If was a little younger to this life, I would have killed him already.

Continuing this monotonous act of being 'regular students,' my brothers and sisters all headed into the cafeteria. I lagged behind a bit, deeply engrossed in my book. I was reading _Pride and Prejudice_ as I had countless times before. My family made fun of me for rereading the classics; but I didn't care. Each time through these dog-eared copies, I found something new and different. It was like a tiny miracle and partly why I loved books so much. I could always depend on the way they made me feel; happy, almost.

I could see the French fry coming before it left his hand. Goddamn that moron, Mike! I let it bounce off my shoulder and looked up from my book. I hope he could see the disgust and annoyance in my face_. I may have to take Emmett up on his offer to take care of that little problem. That would make a perfect Christmas gift._ After daydreaming about Mike's accidental demise I noticed someone new next to him at the lunch table.

If I had a heart it would have stopped.

Him.

_Deep emerald eyes. Messy bronze hair. His strong jaw line with a hint of stubble. Warm lips pressed to mine, then brushing across our baby's forehead. _

_Then falling…….or, did I jump?_

I snapped back to now – the cafeteria. And him sitting there – those eyes, that face.

I started to panic. _I can't breathe, I can't breathe!_

I broke his gaze and uncharacteristically tripped on the chair held out by Jasper at our table. I mean, _wait_, I paused, I used to trip a lot…..back then. I sat down and looked at my family. Emmett and Rose hadn't seen a thing; they were ogling each other like usual. Only Alice and Jasper noticed something was wrong. Of course Jasper could feel it – but Alice? She looked just as confused as I was. I laid my head down on my arms and closed my eyes.

I willed myself not to look back at that boy; that boy who had haunted my daydreams for as long as I could remember.

**A/N**

**Thanks so much for my the help of my awesome beta, OnePushyFox, who's constant encouragement is pretty much the only reason I'm publishing this badboy. And for my tweepies on Twitter for all your love and support!**

**Also to my SSFF girls - you know who you are. Cutie, thanks for completely fixing the 'Bella' moment. You are amazing. I've said this in my profile, but this story started out as a collaboration of sorts, the next chapter is actually not mine. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	3. Cheeseburgers, dirt, whisky

**A/N - As you know, this story started out as a collaboration. One thing led to another and I took the reins on this badboy. However, Miss kthebossg wrote Chapter 3. The rest of the chapters will be mine - but her chapter was so great, I had absolutely no desire to rewrite it.**

**ENJOY!**

**Chapter 3 - by kthebossg**

Unbelievable. How could I let myself trip over some boy? Literally. Is it even possible for a vampire to trip over their own feet? Apparently. Although the resemblance between the boy in the cafeteria and the boy in the vision was uncanny, they couldn't possibly be the same person. I wondered, did Alice see it too? She sees the future not the past, what could she have possibly seen, and did it involve this beautiful boy?

I sat pondering with my head on my arm for the rest of the lunch period. I refused to look at the insignificant boy for fear that the vision would reappear, and the pain sitting dormant in my memory would overtake me. I waited until most of the lunch room had cleared before getting up, dumping my tray full of food, and headed to Biology.

I made my way into the rowdy class. I could hear every conversation in the room, whispers about the school dance, which was Girl's Choice. I hate dances; they are full of bad music and stupid human boys. Alice and Jasper made me go to a prom once; it was a disaster. We definitely won't be moving back to Sunnydale anytime soon. As I neared my table, I could hear Mike in the back of the class whispering to his lab partner.

"Dude, there's Bella. We're going to the dance together."

I rolled my eyes. If that kid only knew. I would love to smash his face into that lab table. Thoughts of seeing that mop of blond hair slam into the desk and crumple to the floor made me smile. I took my seat and began writing in my leather journal, ignoring the teenagers that surrounded me. My hair fell to either side of my face, as a shield of sorts, making me invisible to those around me. I had no interest in the humans and their trivial teenage desires.

As Mr. Molina began the class and the students settled, I heard clumsy footsteps enter the room. I peeked out from behind my hair to see the green eyed boy from the cafeteria. I heard Jessica Stanley behind me say, "That's Edward," just low enough for myself and the ear she whispered in to hear.

I watched him, as he eyed the empty seat beside me and slowly shifted his eyes till they landed on me. It felt like everything was happening in slow motion, as he walked towards my table. The vision I saw in the cafeteria was still fresh in my mind. If my heart still beat, it would have stopped the moment we locked eyes.

As he reached his seat, suddenly I was hit with a scent so strong, so mouthwatering; I almost jumped up, clapping my hand over my nose and mouth. He stopped eyes wide with confusion as I fought the urge to sink my razor sharp teeth into his pale flesh. My hand gripped the underside of the table and I felt the wood give way like sand beneath my fingers. My throat burned with desire, and his blood was the only thing that could quench it. In all my years I had never imagined, much less felt, anything like it. I swallowed down the venom that filled my mouth. In a half of a second, I was up, the stool crashed to the floor and my mind was only thinking one thing, _'Get the hell out of this room, NOW!'_

I tried with all my strength to keep at a normal human speed, as I swiftly ran past Edward. He slammed against the table as I nearly knocked him down in my pursuit for some fresh air and a clear head. Even still, thoughts of his warm blood soothing my burning throat were creeping to the forefront of my mind. I could have killed them all. It would have been quick and painless. _I am not a monster!_

I was out the door and down the hall in a matter of seconds. I wasn't sure where I was going, but outside was the only option. His scent was still so strong in my nose. And just that fleeting touch, as I pushed him away from me, had left an unfamiliar heat to my skin. I felt a tug on my wrist as I got to the courtyard. Alice's face had panic written all over it as she stared into my eyes, and quickly relaxed when she saw them.

"Holy crap Bella, as soon as I saw you tearing through that classroom I shot out of my gym class, and here you are. I was expecting to find you standing in the middle of the biology lab surrounded by twenty mangled bodies. What is going on?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Alice. I may turn around and go straight for that kid if I-" My words stopped abruptly as the burn hurtled itself back into my throat, assaulting me in fresh waves of pain. I forced myself to think of something else, _anything_ else…._cheeseburgers, dirt, whisky, 1.7762…COME ON! Pull yourself together, Bella!_ I couldn't allow myself to think of him again.

"Alice, I am leaving. If anyone asks, I had to vomit, and then I went home."

Her little pixie hair bobbed up and down and spun around to return to class. I ran to my car, unlocked it, jumped in and pealed out of the parking lot. As I drove home, I was singing the alphabet forwards and backwards, reciting the Constitution; barely pushing his face and smell out of my mind.

**A/N - Part 2... Thanks again for reading and reviewing. It means a ton to me that you time the time to do it!**


	4. My mind was the ultimate traitor

******_All copyright and trademarked items mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. The remaining content is property of uhyesplease. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without my express written authorization._**

I didn't bother pulling the car into the garage. I slammed it into park on the driveway and tried not to tear the door off the frame. I really liked my Audi A5: silver, coupe, perfection. There were a few perks to this life – cars, especially mine, were one of them. However, focusing on something else was futile; his face was all I could see. I tried so hard to block that intoxicating scent out of my head.

_I need to feed. I need my family. I want to run._

_I am so confused._

I ran into the house nearly knocking Esme over in the doorway. She was setting out a fresh vase of flowers by the entrance and caught them easily before they hit the marble floor.

I tried to compose myself, but it was too late. One look at my face and I knew I was busted.

"Bella? Are you alright, dear?"

"Um…" I tried not to stutter, "Yeah, I just couldn't deal with school today, Mother, I'm sorry."

"Bella," Esme clucked her tongue against her teeth three times, "You know the rules. We have to do our best to play our roles. Plus, I can tell there is something going on. This isn't like you."

It was like I could see the wheels spinning in her head. _Why can't she just leave it alone right now? Here goes nothing…_

"Well," I breathed out, "Remember that time in Rochester – with Emmett and that teacher?"

Esme gasped and reached out to me, "What happened? Did you-?"

I cut her off. "I'm fine; it was just a new student. I held my breath and got out of there as quickly as I could. I'm not a newborn, you know."

She had to believe that this was just a normal sensory reaction. Rare, yes, but normal. I'm not impulsive as Emmett. _I can do this. I can overcome it._

Esme set the flower arrangement down and stared at me with a shrewd look in her eyes. However, her voice was kind. "So, then, you're ok? Are you going to try to switch classes, or do we need to think about leaving again?"

"Oh no, Mom, nothing like that. I was just taken by surprise. I think now that I know what it feels like I can continue to resist." I could see the astute look in Esme's eyes was fading into acceptance. I continued, "This is the life I've chosen, to abstain from humans. I was just overwhelmed by it…but I think I may need some time off school."

_Yes, that's it, I'll continue with this line of thought and hopefully she'll back off. And maybe it will give me some time to figure out what to do too._

"Of course, Bella. Some time off school will be just what you need. Take some extra trips out to feed. I know that you will be able to handle it. When Carlisle gets home tonight, let's come up with a plan, okay?"

Esme reached out to give me a hug. Usually I'm not a fan of physical touching like this, but for some reason it really felt nice and I hugged her in return.

"Thanks, Mother. I think that's a good idea."

Maybe this will work out? As long as she believes that it was just a close call, just the scent of a human that affected me so much_._ Then I can convince the rest of the family that there isn't a problem. I just have to keep it to the physical problem of it – and not mention the flashback, or whatever it was.

_I know I'm not ready to talk about the major déjà vu going on._

Esme turned to continue to arrange the flowers, humming a tune under her breath. I walked up to my room and was thankful it was separate from the rest of the house. My room was my sanctuary. An immediate calming effect sunk into my bones as I entered. I flicked on a couple of lights to add to the relaxing ambiance and settled down to meditate.

Vampires in general do not need rest. We don't sleep, eat, exercise or any of the other things humans usually do to relax or burn off steam. I am just as comfortable standing as I am sitting or lying down. However, sitting in a neutral meditation pose always seemed to clear my mind.

I closed my eyes and focused on the feel of my body. My legs crisscrossed underneath my thighs, forearms resting on my knees with my thumbs touching my middle fingers making a small loop. Shoulders relaxed and posture straight. Breathing in the air and smelling the soft fragrance of Esme's flowers, the hint of polish from the furniture, and the myriad of earthy smells wafting in from my open window. I let my mind wander to safe topics, the feel of the trees while I run through the forest, the earth under my feet. The sharp smell of the sea, the sound of the surf hitting the rocks…..a thunderstorm, the feel of static electricity before lightening strikes…..

But then it was too late, my mind was the ultimate traitor and I couldn't fight the memories of the swift cascade of events that brought me to this life. And that face, his beautiful face….

* * * *

"I can't. I just can't." I slammed the door open, nearly tripping over my dress on my way out the door. I could hear my parents calling for me to come back, but I had to keep moving. Father's angry shouts and Mother's desperate pleas weren't going to keep me from turning around. All I could think of was getting away, anywhere but here.

I ran down the steps and across the front lawn to the hidden pathway into the woods. I knew where my feet were carrying me. The cliffs. I hoped I would find some kind of solace to ease the pain of my parent's declaration a few minutes ago.

My impending marriage to Miles Washington.

Oh, Miles. He was like the older brother I always wanted. He used to walk me to my classes every day, carry my books for me, or hold my umbrella if it was raining or bright and sunny. Miles was serious; a diligent student and consummate gentleman. Friendly, but not silly or joking. If I could pick a brother, it would be him, but with a bit more humor. I suppose he was attractive – but I never thought of him that way. He was just… Miles.

Then my parents told me he was to be my husband. _My_ _husband! _

I stumbled a bit and kicked the nearest tree along the path. Finally, I reached the top of the cliffs and found myself slowly sinking down on the first boulder I came across. I remembered the conversation with my parents just minutes before.

"_Bella," mother called to me through my door, "Your father and I would like to speak to you. Can you join us in the parlor?"_

_I had been reading in my bedroom before bed, but donned my dressing robe and walked downstairs. They were sitting on the lounge with a space in between them. Mother patted that space as an invitation to sit._

_I was struck with how beautiful my mother looked tonight. Renee's hair had soft auburn curls which were pinned to perfection against her head. The flush on her cheeks matched the bright shine of her eyes. But it was her enormous smile that welcomed me in._

"_We have some very exciting news," Father started to say, but Mother cut him off, "You're going to be married to Miles Washington!"_

"_Excuse me?" I stammered. "Married? To Miles? Is this a joke?"_

"_Of course not, Isabella," Father spoke sharply. "Why would we jest about something as significant as marriage?"_

_I took one look at him and knew he was serious - and angry. His clear blue eyes were raging. My step-father, Philip Black was NOT a man to trifle with. I had no memories of my birth father as he was lost at sea when I was a baby. Philip was the only father I knew. Although he provided for me, I learned quickly that his love was only for my mother. _

_Although in the last few years his main love was his work. He was an international banker, with clients ranging from business men of Prince Edward Island, to New York, Paris and London. Our family was 'New Blood' as the 'Old Blood' liked to call it. However, I thought this was a good thing. I had never been fond of pretentious and ostentatious rich people. _

_He and I had many disagreements over the years and usually our fights were the only time he looked at me. I could tell he was set in this marriage proposal and would do anything in his power to bend me to his will._

"_Listen to me, Isabella. I worked very hard on this betrothal and you will __**not**__ ruin this for our family. The Washington's have been on this island for decades. It is a perfect match and will increase our standing in the community greatly. On top of that, I have been ensured that the entire Washington family will move their generous estate to my bank. I know this will lead me to the Vice President position!"_

_I shook my head and could feel the anger boiling up inside of me. _

"_How can my perfect match, as you call it, become a business arrangement?" I could hardly get the words out of my mouth. My teeth were clenched and I saw red in front of my eyes._

_I stood up, turning to glare at my parents. "I refuse."_

"_Impossible, Isabella. It's already set." Father spat the words out. I could tell he was as angry as I was._

_Mother stood and tried to embrace me, but I quickly stepped away. "Please Isabella; we only want what's best for you. I know that you like Miles, and just think of what joy your children will bring you-"_

"_Enough, Mother!" I couldn't let her continue with that line of thought. Children!? The idea of being intimate with a man I didn't love lurched my stomach into my throat. How could she? I knew Mother loved me, but forcing me into a loveless marriage and then persuade me that children would sort everything out – preposterous! She, of all people, should know that's impossible._

"_I need some air; I just…..have to clear my head…" Every fiber in my being was screaming to leave, to run, to get away from these people who betrayed me. They clearly cared more about their social standing than my feelings._

"_Please, my dear, just stop…it's late and you're not even dressed." Mother tried again to reach out to me, but I was already out the door. _

_Father jumped up to stop me. "Isabella! Stop this childishness!" He was quicker than Mother, but I was faster._

_The last thing I heard was Father who roared, "You WILL marry him! I command it!"_

_On my way out, I didn't look back. I gathered my skirts and headed to the forest. The storm was beginning, the smell of the lightening was thick in my nose, and yet it was the sea I wanted. I was surprised to find that the rage of the waves against the rocks was no match for the fury building inside me. _

I could feel myself blinking away tears I was no longer able to form as I recalled this memory. So many years ago and their words still cut me. Their last few words to me before I ended my human life. So much for relaxing to clear my mind. At least I wasn't thinking of –

Three sharp knocks on my door interrupted my next thought. It could only be one person.

Alice.

Her familiar face peeked out of the crack of the door after she opened it slightly.

"Fine…come in, Alice."

She stepped in, quiet as a mouse and sat down across from me.

"Ok, Bella. Fess up. Who is he and what almost happened in biology today?"

Alice was never one to beat around the bush and with her special ability there was no way I could hide everything from her.

She reached across to grab my hands. "I know this is something big. I'll give you a little time to sort it out. But as you know, I'm not a patient person, so…."

Alice popped up, and dragged me up with her, moving quickly thru the double doors leading out of my room to my balcony.

With a glint in her amber eyes she smiled. "Let's hunt."

* ~ *

**A/N: Thanks again to One Pushy Fox - my lovely Beta and friend. **

**I'll be doing NaNoWriMo - so find me and add me as a friend! This way we can virtually hold each other when we have our physical, mental and emotional breakdowns....**

**Thanks again for reading and reviewing!!!**


	5. Chinese

******_All copyright and trademarked items mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. The remaining content is property of uhyesplease. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without my express written authorization._**

**EPOV**

What.

The.

Hell?

It only took a few minutes to get home from school. I didn't have my own ride yet, so Mike dropped me off at my Uncle Charlie's place. It wasn't quite as nice as what I was used to, though I had lived in worse. But it was a home and I felt welcomed here.

I opened the front door with my key, hung up my wet coat (it really was incessantly damp here) and threw my backpack on one of the kitchen chairs. I could basically take two steps in either direction from the front door and find myself in the kitchen, bathroom or living room. I grabbed a glass of milk and made myself a sandwich in the little kitchen. As I spread on the mayo, my thoughts reflected on the absurd events of the day…

I was completely rattled. Thank God Charlie wasn't going to home for awhile. There was no way I could face him right after my day today. I could admit, after I lost my parents, feeling numb was a pretty normal state for me. But I couldn't say that now. After seeing Bella, I felt alive for the first time in months, but uncomfortably so, like new skin, pink and raw. That connection, _no, connection wasn't a strong enough word_; it felt like a vortex – or better yet, a gaping black hole that sucked me into her. It was something I had never felt before: I was lost, and now I was found.

Too bad I had no fucking clue what to do about it, or where to go from here.

And Charlie – what kind of help could he be? He's great, but he's not exactly some kind of relationship guru. I had never heard of him even dating someone. As far as I knew he was a lifelong bachelor. All of my mom's stories about her brother involved his job, fishing and beer – not necessarily in that order.

Don't get me wrong, he's a great guy. And I was so grateful for him; at least I had some family to take me in. I can't fathom how hard it would have been if I had entered into foster care or something like that. I turn eighteen in a few months anyway – but it's nice to have a place with family.

My parents and I moved around so much, I barely remembered what my Uncle Charlie looked like. Getting to know him was both easy and difficult. It was tough to see my mom's smile on Charlie's face, or even the little glint in his eye; that was hers too. She only showed that little glint when I'd catch her munching on some of her chocolate stash she had 'hidden' away. I'd known her best hiding places since I was six. But she was always trying to get Dad and me to eat healthy, or try new foods and not wreck our appetites with sweets. And yet she was the biggest junk food binger I'd ever met.

Charlie would get that little look in his eye whenever he talked about his big ol' fish stories. There was always the "one that got away." And that was pretty much the extent of our dinnertime conversation. He tried, but it was hard to find a whole lot to talk about.

Not that the silence wasn't hard for me. I was relieved he didn't push anything; make me talk about my feelings, or worse, my parents. I had been here for over a week and we had settled into a nice routine together. There was no way in hell I was going to bring up the Bella situation.

I finished up my sandwich and milk, put the dishes in the dishwasher, grabbed my backpack and headed up the short staircase to my room. My room wasn't much to talk about but it had a bed, desk, a good work lamp and enough room for my new project. My prize possession was the hope chest my Dad made for me when I was a baby. It was full of mementos of our travels and everything that reminded me of my parents.

I sat down at my desk. Sorting through my sketches and diagrams helped me quell the thoughts about Bella. I had work to do, and whatever this thing was about a girl I didn't even know, wasn't going to help me keep my promise to my Dad.

***

Several hours later I heard Charlie come home with our dinner. I completed the equation I was working on and walked down to the first floor and into the kitchen. I could smell it before he held up the short, squatty to-go boxes. Chinese.

"I thought this might remind you a bit of home," Charlie explained and then blushed, "Well, as much as food can, I guess."

"Oh no, that's cool. Thanks Uncle Charlie." I could tell he was worried he offended me, or thought it would remind me of my folks. It was just food, after all.

I dug into something with noodles, it wasn't Hong Kong good, but it was edible at least. Charlie tried to cook dinner my first night here and nearly burned the entire house down with spaghetti and sauce from a jar. After that we decided that take-out would suit us just fine. And we'd go out to eat a few nights a week to give ourselves some variety. My mom would kill me for eating all this junk.

"So, how was school today?"

Good ole Charlie, he gets right to the point.

"Fine," I said, trying not to slurp my noodles, "Not much different than my first week."

Charlie dug around in his box of rice and something with shrimp in it. "Good to hear. None of those kids are giving you any trouble, right?"

I looked up from my food. "Why would you think that?"

"Uh, no reason. Just want to make sure there's no picking on the new kid, or stuff like that." He looked shy again. "I want you to know that I'm here for you. I know we weren't close when you were growing up. But I want to help you however I can."

I wasn't sure what to say to that.

"Ok, thanks Charlie."

He punched me in the arm and continued to dig into his container, using his fork to pick out the shrimp.

We ate the rest of the meal in silence, which was good because I didn't want to word vomit up something about Bella. I could tell it was hard for him to talk about family stuff. Still, his actions touched me and I couldn't help but think about the last few months.

My parents died, one week apart, in Hong Kong. Both of my parents were doctors and their passion was working in epidemiological "Hot Spots" across the globe, usually on behalf of the World Heath Organization. I was actually born in Chile while they were working towards educating and researching child malnutrition. We spent several years in South Africa where they worked with AIDS patients. Other years were spent in Mongolia, India and Croatia. But the last few years we lived in Hong Kong, where they helped hospitals address the SARS pandemic. I always trusted them to take all the necessary precautions, but sometimes even if you do everything right, the worst can still happen.

In this case the worst was them both of them contracting the disease and dying. And leaving me alone. They were the only family Charlie had too. I guess he's just as grateful as I am that I'm here; I'm all he's got.

After we cleaned up dinner, which meant taking turns shooting the trash into the bin; we settled in to watch the big game. Or whatever it was Charlie was going to watch. I sat with him for an hour or so, it was too depressing to just go straight to my room after dinner, so usually I spent this time going over my project, or finished the little bit of homework that I had to suffer through. Once he cracked open his beer, I opened one of my notebooks and started to go over my sketches. A few minutes past by and I realized I was staring down at a picture of Bella.

_Stupid hormones._

"Uh – Uncle Charlie?" _What was I doing?_

He turned around in his La-Z-boy recliner to look at me. "What's up, champ?"

"I was just wondering, about, the…uh….Cullens?"

Charlie took a swig of his beer, "Oh, ok. Yeah, I know them, what about them?"

I tried not to stutter out the rest like a love-sick..._What? Love sick?..._teenager. "I was just wondering what you knew about them? I mean, they were at school today, but I guess were gone all last week?" _Seriously, how dumb could I sound?_

"Well, there's not much to tell. Dr. Cullen lives a few miles outside of town with his wife and adopted kids. I think a couple of them are in your class. Maybe you should stay out of the way of the older ones. I've kept my eye on the bigger guy – he looks like he could crack some skulls, but I've never had any problem with them at all.

"Actually, Dr. Cullen is a great member of our community. There is no way our hospital would be as successful without him. His wife volunteers there and runs a successful internet design business. I've heard a few things here and there about them being unusual. But as far as I can see they have been nothing but a positive influence in our town. And for them to take in that many kids, well," he raised his beer in a toast, "Kudos for them."

"Mainly they keep to themselves, but lend a helping hand when there is a need. In my line of work, that's really all I ask for in our community." He took another long pull of his beer.

"Oh, ok." I quickly looked down at my notebook. I'm pretty sure that's the most I'd ever heard him speak at one time. I glanced back up to the TV, trying to feign interest in the game (it was baseball) that was on. He still had his eyes on me and opened his mouth once to say something but closed it quickly.

About an hour later I headed back up to my room. Before I hit the stairs, I heard a cough behind me from the recliner.

"Hey, Edward?"

"Oh, goodnight, Uncle Charlie."

"Yeah, uh, goodnight…"

I started my short walk upstairs and heard him say, "They also have a daughter who's a junior…you probably should stay away from her too…"

I closed the door to my room and pretended I didn't hear.

I wish it was that easy.

***

That night I dreamed of a storm: startling green skies and gray seas; winds of insurmountable fury and wrath. I was afraid until I saw a pair of amber eyes, set in pale, supple skin. The gusts were whipping her lustrous dark brown hair around her face and body like dancing fire. These features were familiar to me, but different all the same. I fixated on this figure and found that looking into her eyes took my fear away. But they left me with a longing so deep that I awoke with a start, wondering what it all meant.

It was still dark, so I rolled over, closed my eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.

~*~

Thanks again to OnePushyFox who's my wonderful Beta and friend. Thanks for kicking this sucker out with NaNoWriMo all up in your bidness.

I also beta a couple other stories that you should check out: Clementines by Nachos4Children - great for you Carlisle/Bella lovers!

and Your True Colors by NotWhatYoutThink - a super hot and unique story about a lovely lady and a man who looks a lot like the Edward we know and love....

Check 'em out!

Thanks again for reading and reviewing.....All your thoughful comments knock my socks off!

3 you all!


	6. Chicago

_**All copyright and trademarked items mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. The remaining content is property of uhyesplease. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without my express written authorization.**_

BPOV

Peace. I finally felt free from worry since I encountered the beautiful boy. It seemed almost too easy as I turned myself over to my instincts in the hunt – there wasn't time to think, or even feel beyond the task at hand. My only thoughts were on the chase: to run, to kill, to satiate the thirst and drink. I sensed Alice close by, but she was smart to move out on her own and let me be for awhile. I knew her wide berth wouldn't last long, so I relished the feeling of being a lone hunter.

It was easy, this part of my life. The chase and the feed seemed like I all enjoyed for so long. I caught and quickly drained an elk. Then, once I was full, I allowed myself to think. My mind flitted through memories as quickly as my feet flew across the dense forest ground.

When Esme found me, more than half-drowned on the beach, she took me to Carlisle. Or so I was told, I didn't remember anything after my jump until the burn overcame me. When I awoke, I was surrounded by the kindest people I had ever met and became their daughter in both name and flesh. They taught me well, I had only tasted the blood of animals and thankfully had never touched a human.

Esme and Carlisle became the parents any child would have dreamed of. We lived in a beautiful, comfortable home. I had all my needs met and then some. I refused to talk of where I came from and they didn't pry. They also taught me my new way of 'life' or whatever this was. Of course, I'm not sure the whole vampire thing was the stuff dreams were made of. But somehow this life and these parents seemed to fit me better than my human life and parents did.

After Carlisle changed me, they immediately took me away from the island. We stayed in a small cabin up in the woods, miles inland where no one would find us. It wouldn't have been appropriate for a dead girl to pop up around town after her funeral. Years later I found out Carlisle had planted my clothes up on the beach for the local police to find. My parents assumed I had drowned in the storm.

During my change I dreamt of death; I wished for something to end the physical pain, but even more to finish what my jump had started. I wish I could say I prayed for the consuming fire to end, but selfishly I only pleaded to finish what I started: the end of my life. After I woke and found out what I had become, I wasn't angry. Anything had to be better than what I knew before. A part of me loved my human parents, but that relationship had changed even more than my reflection in the mirror. Decades later, their words, both angry and pleading, would be all I could remember of them. Their faces had become as indistinguishable in my human memories as fragmented ghosts.

It wasn't until much later that I remembered the vision I had of the beautiful boy right before I jumped off the cliff. It came to me looking into the eyes of a woman sick with the Fever while I worked in a Chicago hospital as Carlisle's aide. One of those vampire perks of never getting tired or sick worked quite well in a hospital setting, and I had for years felt the compassion of Carlisle and his need to help our human counterparts. Strangely, the typical bloodlust I felt early on with my changing had faded remarkably fast, according to Carlisle, and working in the hospital had never been a problem for me. It was possible for me to assist Carlisle in mass casualty accidents and surgeries.

_Carlisle's pride in me and my foray into medicine never seemed to fade the more I helped him in the hospital. As close as I was to Esme, he was never far behind in my affections. But I was thankful he was there when they brought the woman into our solarium. It was strange, and I should have known something wasn't right when I could smell her before she had even been lifted to our floor. Something akin to the most delicious smell my human nose remembered, like fresh baked bread, chocolate and coffee, all swirled together in the most tantalizing bouquet. When the orderly wheeled in her gurney, I didn't think, I ran to her, registering a look of shock in her green eyes, wanting to take her and –_

"_Bella, stop," Carlisle said, forcefully grabbing my arm and blocking my path to her._

_I looked into his eyes, seeing panic for the only time I could remember. I realized I was swallowing thickly pooled venom in my mouth and brushed the back of my hand past the corner of my lips which were also dripping with it. My eyes looked past Carlisle, seeing this woman and the fear crossing her face, feeling all my senses heightened and aroused, focusing on my kill._

_My kill._

"_Oh my God," I said, tearing my gaze away from the woman, and then back at Carlisle, whose eyes had changed from rich amber to the blackest night and were consumed with a murderous glare. "What have I done?"_

_So I ran away._

_I tried to keep my speed human-like after I turned on my heels and went to the back service exit. Thankfully it was a moonless night, and I ran as fast as I could to our apartment, with the gut wrenching feel of Carlisle's eyes on me and the woman's scent burning a hole in my throat. When I pulled open the door I found the house empty. Esme was out hunting, and I was able to be alone with my thoughts-_

"Whatcha thinking about?" Alice popped up next to me. "You're getting rusty girl, or is there something pressing on your mind? Like maybe…let me think…almost killing some boy in biology?"

"Jesus, Alice," I yelled, stopped running and hoisted myself onto a branch of a nearby spruce.

She followed me, persistent as ever. "You're no match for me, big sis. Spill."

"You'll get it out of me anyway," I mumbled. Alice laughed.

"OK, remember that thing with Emmett a few years ago…." And I filled her in on the story I told Esme – at least part of it was true. _Alice could see the future, not the past, so leaving out those details would still work, right?_

"Humph," she said, and looked at me with a disturbing clarity I had only seen her use on purses in Chinatown. She extended her hand and poked my shoulder with her index finger. "You're lying."

_Shit! Now what?_

We continued to look at each other in some kind of a stale-mate. Time ticked by, we remained frozen in our positions on the tree branch. We didn't breath, we didn't blink and we sure as hell didn't talk.

"FINE!" I shouted, and threw my hands up in the air. I jumped off the branch and Alice followed.

"You know how my mind works, right? Right now it's a blur – it won't settle on anything until you make up your mind…" She squinted her eyes at me, waving her fingers are me like a sham of a fortune teller who dressed in D&G, instead of homespun rags, "Which you are about to do….right……now-"

I interrupted, "Yeah, yeah, could you be any more annoying right now?"

"Probably," she said, and began to dance a little jig, clicking her tongue and acting like a complete ass.

I couldn't fight back the laughter, "I have no idea what the hell Jasper sees in you – you are so weird."

Alice stopped dancing and went into a deep curtsy, "I know why. It's because I'm so darn cute, right? Right?"

I plopped down on the cushy grass and leaned against a tree. "Right." I could feel that moment of lightheartedness fade as fast as it came on. "Ok, like you said, I'm ready." Alice was quiet at once, and sat down silently across from me, her legs crossed and her knees touching mine.

"It's pretty big…..what happened," Alice said as a statement, not a question.

"Yeah."

I took a deep breath and let it all out. It was like a flood gate opened. I shared with her what my parents said about marrying a man I didn't love, how I walked to the cliffs, seeing the vision of what could be but knew would never happen, the complete despair I felt when I jumped, how Esme found me and how Carlisle changed me and then finally the story of seeing that women in the hospital and nearly killing her.

I could feel myself speaking way too fast, but I couldn't stop. "It was horrible, Alice. I know you haven't tasted human blood either. But that pull, that draw? And now to feel it twice, but with this boy, it was so much worse. I don't know how it's possible I didn't kill him because I was so close to killing her and her scent was merely an echo of what his is. It's so hard to explain, I was there by her bedside, ready to drink before I even knew what I was doing. Carlisle stopped me, thankfully, but the look in his eyes…" I shuddered. That look still haunted my thoughts. I had never seen Carlisle look so dangerous, the fathomless blackness in his eyes; the hard fixed line of his mouth. His whole face screamed murder – and that look was directed at me, his daughter. I knew that if I had killed that human in his hospital, he would have been forced to hurt me or maybe even kill me too. That look was only there a second before it was completely erased by concern and kindness. Then he let me go, standing as a barrier between me and that human.

Later that night when he came home, he didn't come up to see me. I could hear Esme pacing the floors below me, but she didn't come up to talk to me either. All day I tried to bury that scent and forget it completely, but it continued to prick at me, leaving something in my mind unturned. I had actually started to pack a bag so I could get out of town for awhile when I heard a knock on my door.

"Come in."

Carlisle sat down on the chair by my desk and waited for me to speak, much like Alice had just done. But this time he broke the silence.

"She died," he said, softly.

I stopped refolding the shirt I held and became still.

"Bella," he whispered, "I'm so sorry."

My head jerked up and I stared at him. "Sorry for what? I'm the one who almost killed her," I spat at him and threw the shirt on the floor.

Carlisle continued to look at me, the pain evident in his eyes, but it seemed it was only for me, not that human. "You stopped yourself. You wouldn't have harmed her-"

I interrupted him – spewing anger and hate, "Are you sure about that? I can practically taste her right now! Yes, even now, knowing she's dead, I want to find her and consume her completely. I am a monster! What the hell is going on with me?" With these words my rage reduced itself to self-loathing and bitterness. My chest heaved with sobs and tears I couldn't shed and I fell to my knees with my head in my hands.

Carlisle was there in an instant, his arms wrapped around me, holding me to him. How could I leave this home and my parents who loved me more than mine ever did? I couldn't believe just a few hours ago I thought he was so angry with me he wanted to kill me.

"Shush, Bella," he said, into my hair, "This is what we are, it's our nature. It was incredibly naïve of me to think you would never be tempted so strongly by a human's blood. In truth, you have surprised me on so many levels since your change; I assumed you were completely immune to the call." He held onto my shoulders and pushed me back so he could look me in the eyes. "I am so proud of you. I know that you saw something in me that frightened you. I was caught so completely off guard and when I saw the way you looked at her and when you moved so quickly, I basically went into what Esme calls my 'guard dog' mode. I saw you as a threat, and instead of intercepting you as your parent, I did so as your enemy."

He faltered for a moment, and I could see the love he had for me and the remorse he felt shine through his now amber eyes, "I'm so sorry, Bella, my daughter, for only seeing the worst and not protecting you properly."

"Then what happened? Why did that happen to me? Have you ever experienced something like this?"

"Personally," Carlisle answered, "I haven't. But I can't answer that question honestly because the most temping fragrance I've ever come across is your mother, Esme, but she was nearly gone when I found her."

"But so was this human, right? You said so yourself that she's dead now."

"Yes, she died right before I left; of the Fever, of course. However, she wasn't doing too poorly when she arrived on our unit – but then all of the sudden took a turn for the worse at the end of my shift. So what you smelled, or sensed, was much stronger than what I had of Esme's." He looked at me pointedly. "Bella, was there something else? Did you…know her?"

"No, I'd never seen her before in my life," I said, but then suddenly the realization hit me like an arrow to the chest.

Those eyes.

Those piercing, green eyes. The eyes of the beautiful boy from before my fall. _Or was it before my jump?_

"I need to be alone for a bit, Carlisle; can you do that for me? Tell Esme I love her and when I come downstairs I will be ready to go back to work and carry on." I tried to smile, even though I knew it was weak.

"I can," Carlisle said, helping me up to my feet. I could see he knew I wasn't sharing everything, but he didn't pry. "You may want to hunt later tonight. It will make you feel better."

"I'll try. Thank you, Father."

I watched him let himself out and down the staircase.

~*~

"Thanks, Bella, for being so honest with me," Alice said softly, giving my hand a squeeze. She was holding my hand and I hadn't even noticed.

I nodded, feeling a bit lightheaded and incredibly grateful for her friendship. "So, oh wise, all-knowing one. What should I do?"

"Well," she said, biting her lip and chewing it thoughtfully, "I think we need to know more about his boy and how he fits in." She popped up and held out her hand to help me up. "And to do that we need the internet."

"That's easy," I answered, jumping up. "My computer or yours?"

"Oh, and that's not all," Alice said, as she started to run towards home. Being the fastest in the family, I easily caught up, "You're going to have to talk to him."

I almost tripped over a tree root and fell down, but Alice kept on running. I sped up and grabbed her so she'd stop. "What do you mean, 'Talk to him'?"

Alice turned to me, both arms crossed over her chest, "You need to figure out who he is, where he came from, and why you saw him, or someone like him, over a hundred years ago before you melodramatically plunged to your death. You know, all the questions, maybe, you should have asked before you did just that."

I was stunned by her frankness. "So, I pour my heart out to you, and now you're making fun of me?"

"No sweetie, I'm just telling it like it is. Once you decide on how you're going to do this, we can use this," she chirped and tapped her temple twice with her index finger, "to help us out."

I started running again, mumbling about annoying little sisters. Part of me hoped Alice wouldn't catch up, but of course, she did. I really _was_ losing it today.

"I do know it's going to be ok though. Today was the worst, now you know what you're up against. School will be better tomorrow."

"Well, I'm not going to school tomorrow."

"Oh?"

"I'm going to Chicago."

_A/N_

_Did ya miss me? Cuz I missed you! NaNoWriMo and the holiday are finally over and my free time is my own. __Thanks again to my lovely beta, OnePushyFox. I love you so….{{{hugs}}}_


	7. Friends

_**All copyright and trademarked items mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. The remaining content is property of uhyesplease. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without my express written authorization.**_

~*~

Edward

Biology wasn't the same without her. Although the rest of her family were at lunch, I assumed she was either running late, or skipping, and I'd see her in biology just like I did yesterday. But I was wrong. I had no problem completing the Planeria lab by myself, but for the first time since I could remember, I just really wanted to talk to a girl. And not just any girl, but a girl who completely shattered my idea of perfection in the female form. I wanted to see if she was ok, she had looked sick when she ran out of class. And not just sick, but pretty damn angry as well. I didn't think I did anything to offend her, but whatever it was I wanted to find out and fix it.

After the bell rang, I went to my classes, looking in the halls for her shiny, brown hair, but didn't see her anywhere. I did realize that her sister, Alice I think, was in my English class, and her ginormous brother was in Spanish with me. How I missed him lurking in the back, I had no idea. Both of them gave me a once over, but I figured it was because Bella told them why I had pissed her off in Bio. I tried to act assertive and give it right back, but something about them told me to stay away.

Classes continued like normal and it was finally time to go home. However, in my last class, Physics, Mr. Greenley handed out a flyer on our way out, muttering something about extra credit in case we needed it. I nearly threw it straight into the trashcan, because I was the last person who needed extra credit in that class, but the huge "SCIENCE FAIR OF CLALLUM COUNTY" caught my eye. As I walked out to Mike's car, I read the fine print. The fair was in a couple of months, I could totally make the deadline, at least produce a mock up of the project I was working on with Dad before….

Mike honked his horn, and I booked it to his car before he did his favorite, 'drive away while Edward tries to grab the door handle' game. Idiot. But he, Eric and Tyler were the only friends I had.

The drive home went by like normal, Mike talking about the girls who were 'after him' and me trying to ignore him, but at the same time nodding and grunting something in affirmation. He wasn't a bad kid; I just didn't have a whole lot in common with him. And his jokes were getting tiresome.

He dropped me off and I continued my usual routine: sandwich, drink, and homework. I signed onto the internet and researched the fair. Actually, considering how behind this district and county seemed to be in the sciences, the Fair itself wasn't that bad. Winners of the Fair went on to compete in the State finals and then if they won there, went on to Nationals and a large scholarship for college.

I looked at my papers, scraps of metal and drawings left in my calculated disarray on my desk. If I was going to try to meet the deadline, I had a lot of work to do.

But it only took a few minutes, after calculating a few equations, when she filtered back into my brain. She. Bella. I didn't understand why she was gone, but hopefully she'd be back tomorrow.

**++**

Wednesday

_No Bella._

Thursday

_No Bella._

Friday

_No Bella._

I was starting to get frustrated. Her family sat there at lunch every day – at their table, silent as death. I tried not to stare, but I was willing one of them to say something to each other, hoping to overhear something, anything, about Bella. Where was she? Was she sick? Was she in trouble? Did I do something so bad that she switched schools?

Biology was fine. Cakewalk, like always. I thought about talking to Alice in English, but each time I got the nerve it was like she'd disappear. Each day I'd turn around to do it and she'd be gone; standing up at the front of the class with a note for the teacher or some reason to be excused. And well, Emmett, I'll be honest, he kind of scared the shit out of me. That dude was huge.

I was at my locker, getting ready to go home and felt a nagging suggestion of something bad before it even appeared.

Jessica.

Dammit.

I had been actively avoiding her all week. She'd pop up once and I'd duck out. Duck and cover, duck and cover. I must have been off my game because here she was just a few feet from me and closing in fast. I didn't duck or cover quickly enough this time.

Harpy sounds commence in 3 – 2 – 1 and….

"EDDIE!" She tried to lean into me and I took a step back, slamming my locker closed and throwing my backpack over my shoulder. "It's Friday night, sweetums, where will you be?"

I really didn't want to be rude, so I played dumb and answered her, "Well, at home, like normal."

She worked her arm through mine, holding on to me like I was her saving grace. "Not tonight. Remember? My party. And you do not want to miss my party tonight." She stuck out her lip in a ridiculous pouty face. "You told me on Monday you would go." Then the harpy voice somehow morphed into this nauseating baby voice. I nearly dry heaved into my mouth.

"Puh-wease, Eddie? It would bweak my iddy biddy heart if my wubby dubby Eddie didn't come ober tonight…" She was blinking her eyes at me, they were so clumped up with mascara or something; they looked like tiny tarantula legs. And her voice? It didn't seem possible it could be worse, but that baby voice was definitely worse.

"I dunno, Jessica, I have some stuff I'm working on…."

"Baby," she said, suddenly the baby voice was gone and replaced with, well, I don't know what, but I think she was trying to be sexy. Who was this girl, some kind of schizo? "I'll make it worth your while…" She licked her lips, which I guess was supposed to be hot, but instead reminded me of a horse, chomping at the bit. I thought she was going to try to suck my ear again and I tried to move back and shake her arm off me. Surprisingly she let go of my arm and – WHACK – smacked me on the ass. I jumped about a mile.

"Really, baby, One Hundred Percent Guarantee…" Out of nowhere she put a lollipop in her mouth and sucked on it, swirling her tongue around the top and releasing it with her lips, creating a loud popping sound.

_What the fuck is going on? Am I in the Twilight Zone?_

"See you tonight, Eddie. 10 o'clock and don't be late."

***

I got into Mike's car and of course the only thing he talked about were the hotties he was going to 'score' with at Jessica's party.

"Yeah," he said, taking the corner a little too wide for my liking, "Lauren's got a really tight ass, I bet her-"

I cut him off before he made me want to jump out of a moving vehicle, "So, tell me about Bella. Will she be at the party, do you think?" I hoped this would distract him, unless he starts talking about her ass…then I might have to punch him in the face.

"Oh, my girl never goes to parties." _My girl? Are you kidding me? _"It would be so nice to see her in something other than her school clothes…something, say, low cut and tight." His eyes bugged out of his head and for the second time today I had to see someone disgustingly lick their lips. And now I really wanted to punch him.

"Uh, sure, yeah. So she never goes to the parties? What about her family?"

"Well, now that I think about it, there was one time Bella and her family went, but her brother got super pissed at Eric for even talking to her, so they left a few minutes after they got there."

"Which brother?"

"Emmet."

"Yeah….he's huge."

"Yeah…"

We drove the rest of the way in silence.

"So I'll pick you up around eleven?"

I looked at Mike blankly, trying to figure out a way to get out of it without looking like a complete loser. I tried to think fast.

"Uh, well, I'm not sure the nephew of the police chief should probably hang out at a party where there's going to be drinking, or whatever…."

"Oh yeah, that. Well…if you change your mind, just give me a call, alright? You could sneak out or something? Things don't start getting good 'til late anyway."

"Sure, sounds good. I'll call you if I decide to live on the edge a little."

"OK….see ya."

I slammed the door shut and Mike pealed out. I had to turn away fast to shield my face from getting gravel kicked back on me.

Yeah, still the nerd.

***

I sat there, staring at the science fair flyer, my computer and my blueprints. I glanced at the clock: 10:16pm. Charlie told me at dinner (steak and potatoes from the diner) that he had DVRed the game and was hitting the hay early tonight because he had to be at work at 3am. So is the life of the police chief, I guess. He had been in bed since 8, and I could hear the rhythmic snoring across the hall.

I stared again at my equations. Then at the clock.

She might be there…or maybe, one of her brothers or sisters? Plus, it might be fun to cut loose a little bit? I heard a loud snort across the hall which then returned to the ripsaw sound of Charlie's snoring. _He'd never know_.

_Fuck it._

I dug into a side pocket of my cargo pants, found my phone and dialed Mike's number.

"Mike? Yeah, hey, it's Edward. Can you pick me up?"

***

Sneaking out of the house was easy, Charlie slept like the dead. I didn't even have to climb out of the window or anything – I just walked down the steps with my shoes in my hand. Mike's muffler was loud, and I was plenty paranoid, so we planned to meet at 11pm around the corner. I gently closed the front door, slipped on my shoes and pounded the pavement for a block or so. Mike was waiting for me, and I jumped into the passenger seat.

"Hey man, glad to see you growing a pair and getting out," Mike said, high fiving me, which I almost missed because I wasn't paying attention.

Eric and Tyler were in the back seat, playing their PSPs. They were probably playing each other. And they thought _I_ was the antisocial freak. We drove a few miles outside of town and ended up turning onto a private road. It was hard to see where Mike was turning, but he seemed to know the way like the back of his hand. A few minutes later I saw lights, including large Chinese lanterns, all leading the way to a sprawling, ranch style home.

We pulled up into the wrap-around driveway, already full of cars. Despite the chilly, misty air, doors were open, and music poured out – heavy bass thumping and blaring something I wasn't sure I had ever heard before. Rap wasn't really my style. Mike parked, and we all got out of the car. Mike and Tyler sang along to the lyrics, bobbing their heads and making a few crude pelvic thrusts to the beat of the song. Once again, I wondered what the hell I was doing with these guys. Eric was already texting, and fist bumped Mike after telling him that Lauren was at the party.

"Aw yeah, that little piece is going to be mine tonight!" Mike started some kind of dance move again, to the rhythm of the beat, moving his hands like he was slapping a horse.

"Hey guys, I'm going to get a drink…I'll uh, see you in a few." I honestly didn't know what the hell I was doing here. But I knew I needed to find something to do. I pushed through the crowd, trying not to bump into anyone, especially Jessica. The house was actually pretty nice; some of the family photos on the wall weren't too bad either. Her parents looked normal. It's strange how someone so disgusting came from such a decent family.

"Mmmmmm…….mommy likey…" A voice purred in my ear. _Oh shit._

"Oh – uh, yeah, hi Jessica?"

"Baby," she said, trying to wrap her arms around my waist and slide her hands into my back pockets, "I'm so glad you're here. My night would have been ruined if you didn't come."

How dumb could I be? Now where are the guys when I need them? I could feel the sweat begin, and my cheeks begin to flush. For someone so smart, apparently I don't think through things very well.

"Oh, hi there Edward – I have a couple of people I'm dying for you to meet!" A friendly, perky voice came out from the opposite side of Jessica. I stood there shocked and turned to see a girl who looked very familiar to me. I think she was in my Spanish class. Pretty brown eyes and hair in double braids, and such a friendly smile. Yes, Spanish class, definitely. And now, she was my savior. "It will just take a few minutes, Jessica, and I'll bring him right back to you."

I maneuvered myself out of Jessica's grasp and let Spanish girl grab my hand and lead me to the kitchen where I had been originally headed. Once we got into the kitchen she reached into an open cooler, holding a beer in one hand, Coke in the other with her eyebrows raised in a question. I reached for the Coke and she took the beer. We both cracked open the tops and took a deep drink.

"I'm Angela, we're in Spanish together and you looked like you needed rescue from the Junior Class Succubus."

"Yeah, thanks for that. Really, more than you know." I took another big swig of Coke.

I heard a strange noise behind me and turned to watch some girl puke in the sink and another girl hold her hair back, slurring nonsense into the back of her head.

Angela looked over to the party scene. "You wanna get outta here?"

"I just got here, but YES."

"Follow me."

She led me out the other door, past the barf queen and through an attached sunroom. There were a few couples sitting on the couches making out and now I wasn't sure if following her was a good idea either. She looked back at me and smirked, "Trust me, ok? We're not going to sit here and perv."

We continued through another door into the backyard. The mist had cleared, and it was pretty decent out, actually. I had my coat on still and Angela was wearing a thick sweater or I would offer mine to her if she got cold. We walked across the property into the trees and a few minutes later I realized she was standing in front of a huge rope swing hanging off of one of the ancient trees.

"Push me?" Angela put her beer down and sat down on the plank of wood, holding her feet out like a little girl, waiting to be pushed.

"Sure. Why not?"

I set my Coke down and pushed her for awhile, neither of us speaking, but it wasn't awkward. It was kind of nice to have someone to just be with for awhile. She seemed nice and really cool. However, I wondered if it was possible Bella might come to this party or at least some of her family. I wasn't going to find any of the Cullens out here and hopefully I would be able to man up and ask if she was ok.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Angela's voice cut through the mist that was creeping back in.

"Oh, um..." _Like I could tell her._ "Thanks for saving me back there. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. Jess is a skeeze. I'll warn you though, she'll probably try to find you again tonight. That girl doesn't take no for an answer."

"Yeah, I've kinda figured that out by now."

Angela laughed, and it was so cute it made me laugh too. But then she got really quiet and dragged her feet on the ground to stop the swing. I held onto the sides of the old brittle rope to help her stop, let go and moved to the side so I could lean against the tree, and take another sip of the Coke I had put on the ground. Before I sat down I handed Angela her beer.

"Thanks..." she said, taking a sip and drawing circles in the dirt with her shoe. Green Doc Martins, cool. "I've got a confession to make, Edward."

I pulled my eyes away from the curly cues in the dirt and looked up at her face. She looked scared. Hell, now I was a bit scared. "Ok?"

"I've been watching you for awhile, it's not weird or anything, I promise. It's just… Do you remember me at all?"

"Remember you?"

She let out a huge sigh, "Ok, this is going to sound really dumb. But we were friends as kids. Little kids. I know it sounds strange, but I have a really good memory. Scientists have literally done studies on my brain, you know, those little suction cup thingies? I can remember life events way earlier than most people. And…" she ran her hands down the dark brown braids on each side of her head and pulled them, seemingly out of frustration. "Well, you were my boyfriend when we were three years old. We used to play together, the summer your parents were away working and you stayed with Charlie for a few months."

That must of have been when they were in Sarajevo and the wars broke out. I could barely remember it. My only memories of that time were from pictures that Charlie took to give to my Mom. That was my first time fishing with Charlie. Heck, I think that was the first time I had even met my uncle. But I didn't remember Angela at all.

"Sorry…I mean, I recognize you from Spanish – but no, not from that summer."

She looked down at her shoes, shoulders slumped.

"Hey, Angela," I said softly. "I was your boyfriend, huh? Was I a good kisser?"

Her head shot up and at first I thought she was crying, but she was laughing. "NO! It wasn't like that; you just called me your girlfriend and threw rocks at me. There was no kissing. I thought you were disgusting!"

I started laughing too, I had to put my Coke down and I held my sides, bursting with the idea of me being some kind of bully. "Sorry about that! And here I thought I was some kind of toddler Don Juan. But throwing rocks at you? I was way off!"

We both laughed until I nearly had to put my head between my knees to catch my breath. Angela sat down next to me, rubbing tiny tears out of her eyes. "So you never forgot me, huh?" I asked, nudging her in the arm with my elbow.

"Nope, besides the rock throwing, you were really fun to play with that summer. And I was really surprised you see you came back. You look good, Edward. And I'm really sorry about your parents."

"Yeah…me too."

We sat in silence, her leaning up against my arm. And it felt nice. She felt safe, and familiar. It was nice to have a friend, and not just a new one, but a friend who knew before, even with her unique memory thing, and who also knew my parents. I turned to tell her how great this was, when she leaned in and kissed me square on the mouth. And for some reason I let her. Maybe out of shock, or just, I don't know. But she pulled away, and looked at me like I had turned into a frog or something. I didn't know what to say, but I could feel it getting weird. Because it _was_ incredibly weird.

"This is all wrong. I don't know what it is," Angela whispered, "but when I'm kissing you, it's like I'm kissing….my brother. I guess that doesn't make any sense.

"Believe me, it makes perfect sense. Um, but, I'm not related to you, right?"

"No, definitely not." She wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, popped up from the ground and held out her hand. "Friends? Just friends?"

I shook her hand and she somehow pulled me up off the ground; she was a lot stronger than she looked. "Yes. Definitely friends."

_A/N_

_I really hope you catch the not-so-subtle Back to the Future quote in this chapter! Big p__rops to my wonderful beta and friend, OnePushyFox. And a big thanks for you, for sticking by me and my super slow writing and updating. Just know the next chapter is a big 'un. Let the romance finally commence!!! Thanks again for reading and reviewing!!!!_


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